Month: July 2016

We have all experienced it. It is a fairly common occurrence in our ever increasingly technologically connected world. Because it is our connection to the information we seek and a crucial path to the communication of our vision and purpose, a connection to the internet or “network” has become essential for many throughout the world. When that connection goes down, for many of us, our work comes to a grinding halt. But there is a small celebration once the network connection has been restored. Everyone in the office exclaims the same words, “The network is back up!”

As I travel around the Rocky Mountain Church Network, one question I always ask is, “How can we help you (the pastor) and your church?” Often the response goes something like: “Call us! Visit us! Connect with us!”

Since early this year, my focus in the region has been to be an IT Engineer seeking to restore and maintain Network Connection. There is a lot of work that still needs to be done, but please know my heart is to connect with the pastors and leadership of the churches in the RMCN.

When trouble shooting a network there are certain steps the provider must do and there are other steps the client can do. The provider must assure the client that the signal is reaching the router and that the router is functioning correctly. The client is responsible to make sure that their end of things are connected properly, their cable is connected or their Wi-Fi is configured properly for connection.

As the provider we have to admit that we have not always done a good job. You need to know it is our desire to raise the reliability of our network. We know we need to increase our up time.

As a member of the network we would ask that you help us maintain your connection. If we can help in specific areas (see the list below), please call. If we can meet with you or the leadership of your church, please contact us.

First Baptist Church of Basin, Wyoming held an installation service for their new Lead Pastor, Aaron Gesch on June 26th.

Aaron lived 7 years in Peru (ages 5-12) with his parents who served as missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Before moving to Wisconsin to pursue a MA degree in Christian/Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, with an emphasis in Counseling and Pastoral Care, Aaron and his wife Starla were living in Pinedale, Wyoming. The Gesch’s have 6 children.

Pastor Kent Dempsey is moving to an associates position after over 20 years as the Lead Pastor. He, and his wife Jan, are devoting more of their time caring for their aging parents. Kent will be available for pulpit supply in the area.

Associate Pastor, John Henderson, rounds out the pastoral leadership of First Baptist Church.

RMCN Board Member, Gordon Penfold, and co-authors, Bud Brown and Gary Westra have written a new book, Pastor Unique: Becoming a Turnaround Leader. The publisher hasn’t given a firm release date yet, but they are hoping that it will be available around August 15.

The authors are also working on additional resources for pastors, church leaders, and denominational leaders to help them get the most from this groundbreaking new work.

The authors of Pastor Unique understand the critical need for the development of turn-around pastor leadership, given that over 80% of churches in America are plateaued or declining in attendance. They bring their ministry experience and passion for healthy churches and effective leadership to bear on this epidemic. Their research of successful turn-around pastors has led them to identify the key behaviors and practices that non turn-around pastors can develop through assessment, training and mentoring. If you are a pastor facing the daunting task of leading a church that is plateaued and declining, Pastor Unique is a must read.